June 28th- Day 3
Hola parents and grandparents,
Today we got started studying ants. We got to dig up the fungus gardens and queen ants. About 2 minutes or less, we found a dead colony. That means a colony without any ants living. About 10 minutes later we found a mature colony. It was as big as a master bedroom! That it is the equivalent of the ants building the Great Wall of China in scale to us. we got to hold many kinds of ants, such as workers, minima, queens, and soldiers. Derek started bleeding from on of the bites, and so did Noah. Those soldiers can really bite! After each group was done digging out one fungus garden we then all went to lunch. the juices here are very good, today was strawberry banana. We had risotto with heart of palm, steak, and salad for lunch.
After lunch everyone went back to their cabins for about 2 hours, to get ready for storing and researching our ant colonies. We got to study with world famous Dr. Pinto! We started preparing our artificial ant houses in our plastic boxes. In order to put the ants in, we had to first disinfect and put mineral oil on the walls so the ants couldn't escape. Then we put moist cotton balls at each end of the boxes. Next we practiced and studied more about scientific method. First step we had to make observations which we have been doing since we got her without knowing. The next step is coming up with a problem or question we need to resolve or answer. After that we need to create a hypothesis that best answers or resolve the question. We find the controls of the experiment which we found out to be the hardest part of the procedure. Finally we analyze the data and make a conclusion based off the data.
Our first practice question we need to solve is what surface is bacteria most abundant on in the farms. Before this we learned about how bacteria grows and what it needs to grow. So we could have a better understanding of what to look for throughout this experiment. Then we made a hypothesis about what we think the characteristics of the surface we swabbed should be to help bacteria grow. Then we actually swabbed surfaces we picked out and put them on petri dishes. We will wait until tomorrow to see the full results of this experiment. After this we watched four movies which two had Dr. Pinto in.
We had a good dinner with porkchops and salsa, along with what looked like potatoes but weren't, still tasted good. The juice today was some green fruit, we think it's kiwi, but we aren't for sure. The dessert was magnificent. It was cake with some cold cream along with their famous cocoa. We then proceeded to our cabins to play cards and relax.
Sincerely,
Jack Parker and Noah Nielsen
(P.S. Eddie is the best costa rican ever.) Pura Vida!
Meeting Dr. Adrian Pinto
Today we got started studying ants. We got to dig up the fungus gardens and queen ants. About 2 minutes or less, we found a dead colony. That means a colony without any ants living. About 10 minutes later we found a mature colony. It was as big as a master bedroom! That it is the equivalent of the ants building the Great Wall of China in scale to us. we got to hold many kinds of ants, such as workers, minima, queens, and soldiers. Derek started bleeding from on of the bites, and so did Noah. Those soldiers can really bite! After each group was done digging out one fungus garden we then all went to lunch. the juices here are very good, today was strawberry banana. We had risotto with heart of palm, steak, and salad for lunch.
After lunch everyone went back to their cabins for about 2 hours, to get ready for storing and researching our ant colonies. We got to study with world famous Dr. Pinto! We started preparing our artificial ant houses in our plastic boxes. In order to put the ants in, we had to first disinfect and put mineral oil on the walls so the ants couldn't escape. Then we put moist cotton balls at each end of the boxes. Next we practiced and studied more about scientific method. First step we had to make observations which we have been doing since we got her without knowing. The next step is coming up with a problem or question we need to resolve or answer. After that we need to create a hypothesis that best answers or resolve the question. We find the controls of the experiment which we found out to be the hardest part of the procedure. Finally we analyze the data and make a conclusion based off the data.
Our first practice question we need to solve is what surface is bacteria most abundant on in the farms. Before this we learned about how bacteria grows and what it needs to grow. So we could have a better understanding of what to look for throughout this experiment. Then we made a hypothesis about what we think the characteristics of the surface we swabbed should be to help bacteria grow. Then we actually swabbed surfaces we picked out and put them on petri dishes. We will wait until tomorrow to see the full results of this experiment. After this we watched four movies which two had Dr. Pinto in.
We had a good dinner with porkchops and salsa, along with what looked like potatoes but weren't, still tasted good. The juice today was some green fruit, we think it's kiwi, but we aren't for sure. The dessert was magnificent. It was cake with some cold cream along with their famous cocoa. We then proceeded to our cabins to play cards and relax.
Sincerely,
Jack Parker and Noah Nielsen
(P.S. Eddie is the best costa rican ever.) Pura Vida!
Meeting Dr. Adrian Pinto
Mature ant colony
Queen Ant
Digging up the fungus garden
Fungus garden
Great photos! Keep 'em coming.
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